Strangers on a Train
by AgoodWITCH
Summary: On her way to start her life over in Chicago, Bella listens to Charlie and decides to take Amtrak for 45 hours of scenic travel, but when a mix up with the booking of her private car is discovered, she finds the best scenery will be inside her room in the form of Edward Cullen, the man sharing her compartment.


**This was a fun little daydream I had while working on _Friends in Love_ and had to run with when I saw that it was possible! So anyway, I loved this idea and it seemed like something fun, and as someone who has taken the train many times and had 9 hour rides turn into 20 hour rides … nothing is ever easy with the train … and this is no exception. I am taking huge liberties with the Seattle train station and Amtrak's policy with regards to these rooms, because I know nothing about it, therefore I can only make it up! But before you ask, the attendant service is pretty accurate. This story is dedicated to my friend from college, one of two people for whom I would wake up at 3am to catch the train, to wait in Penn Station for 3 hours, to get on a "9 hour" train ride. But hey, the scenery is pretty and it beats airport security.**

******Huge love to my wifey, mizzdee, the other person I would take days on the train to see, and the person who pretties up my work for you all.**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is rated M for language, and lemons.

**BPOV**

I was still shaking my head at my father as he pulled away from the train station in Seattle. Why was he so insistent that I take the train, I'd never know. A plane would get me to Chicago in a few hours, but no, Charlie had gone on endlessly about how it was a great way to see the country, and how he had done it when he was a teenager on a trip to go visit his uncle. I was going to be in hell. 45 hours cooped up in a room all by myself. I walked into the station and up to the ticket counter to get my ticket and check my bag. When I was finally next in line, the woman at the counter called me over and looked up my ticket information. Next to me, a man walked up to the other ticket window and both of our counter people made the same face. "I'm sorry there seems to be a slight problem with your reservation." Both women said in unison. They looked at each other and then showed each other what they had seen before going to get a manager.

"You couldn't just let me fly, could you Charlie," I muttered to myself.

"Is Charlie your boyfriend?" a velvet voice asked from beside me. I looked up and was dazzled by a pair of emerald green eyes, hidden by long eye lashes. Trying to regain my power of speech, I looked up to see his bronze hair in perfect disarray and finally my eyes traced over his chiseled features and stopped on his perfect lips.

I looked away quickly, trying very unsuccessfully, to be smooth, before looking back up to answer him. "No, Charlie's my dad; he talked me into taking the train saying 'It's the only way to see the country, Bells.'"

We both laughed and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Bells?"

"Yeah, that's his nickname for me, my name is Bella Swan."

"Wait, Charlie Swan … like Chief Swan?"

I looked up at him in shock. "You're from Forks?" How had I never seen him in a town that small?

"Yup. Edward Cullen, nice to meet you." He held out his hand and I took it, shaking hands firmly, just like my dad taught me. As soon as I touched his skin, there was almost a current between us, like an electrical force that was undeniable.

"Is your dad a doctor, because when I used to visit Charlie during the summer, there was always a Dr. Cullen who took care of me because I was the chief's daughter?"

"That he is. Small world, huh?"

Just then the manager came up and looked hopeful at our small talk. "Miss Swan, Mr. Cullen, I'm sorry to have to inform you of this, but it seems the bedrooms were overbooked. You were both sold a bedroom ticket as a single passenger and were both charged the full rate for the bedroom, but there isn't enough space so we can either give you a refund, or you'll have to share a single compartment." I looked at her in complete horror, while 'Mr. Cullen' chuckled to himself. Seeing my abject horror, she continued. "There are two beds, just like if you would have had if it wasn't double booked, but you would have to agree to share the compartment. Now, to make up for the inconvenience, we will give you vouchers to make up the half of the room fare you will no longer be required to pay, because you've both paid in full, plus an additional $200 in vouchers as our way of apologizing for this egregious error on our part. Would you be willing to share a compartment?"

I was still mentally crapping my pants at what was happening when Edward laughed and said, "I'm in, how 'bout you, Bells?"

Fuck. Me. "Sure, why not." Breathing a sigh of relief, they printed up our tickets and vouchers and pointed out the baggage area. I picked my overnight bag, which I had shoved my purse into and my garment bag when Edward came around and grabbed the handle on my large rolling suitcase, pulling it with one arm while he pulled his with his other hand. "I can get that, you know."

He smiled a breathtaking, crooked smile at me and kept walking. "I'm sure you could, I'm just trying to prove chivalry isn't dead." We made our way to the baggage counter and he lifted my suitcase up onto the counter as I handed over my ticket, the baggage guy looked at it and printed my luggage tag, attaching it to the strap before loading it onto a cart. Edward did the same for his suitcase and when our bags were checked he motioned towards the waiting room, only for the announcement to come over the loudspeaker.

"The 1:45pm train from Seattle, Washington to Chicago, Illinois is now boarding the sleeper cars."

Edward and I walked towards the track. "That's us. Let's go before we wind up sharing a broom closet for the next 45 hours." I laughed with him and walked out across the walkway above the tracks and over to the train conductor. I handed him my ticket and he glanced at it, seeing that I was at the right car, before handing it back to me and allowing me to climb in. I handed Edward my bags so my hands were free to climb from the footstool up into the train. As I placed my foot on the slick metal of the train step, I tripped up the stairs, falling backwards and landing in a pair of strong arms. I looked up to see that Edward was pressing his lips into a hard line, trying not to burst out laughing at me. "You got to know my father very well during your trips to Forks, didn't you?"

I turned crimson as he lifted my feet to the floor of the train's interior and then pushed me vertical, holding on to my hips until I had grabbed the handle and was safely inside. I turned and Edward handed up my bags before showing his ticket and climbing up with ease. We went upstairs to the upper level and made our way to the first compartment. He opened the door and I froze, this was 7'x7' at the most. I was spending the next 45 hours in this box with the sex haired son of a doctor, who knew my father. I would like to amend my previous observation, _now_ I'm in hell! I stepped in and looked around; there was a reclining loveseat type seat on one side and a train style armchair across from it. There was a sink by the sliding doors and a private toilet/shower compartment next to the armchair. Two days on this train, I was going to be using that shower. While Edward was five feet away, I didn't think I'd ever been more screwed! Edward had walked down the hall and checked out the rest of our floor mates, when he came back he was smiling. "There's an elderly couple in the next room, but besides that we don't have any neighbors."

"At least we won't have to worry about any screaming kids." I sat my overnight bag on the armchair and unfolded my garment bag to hang in the tiny closet. I started shrugging out of my raincoat and a pair of cold hands grazed my shoulders as they helped me off with it and hung it on one of the hangers, before doing the same with his. "Thanks."

I moved my bag and Edward unfolded the large table so that it sat between our respective chairs. The train was about to leave the station, so I sat down so I wouldn't fall again and pulled my purse out of the bag.

"You look lovely in that color, by the way." My head shot up as I looked at Edward.

"Thank you, you look pretty handsome yourself."

As the departing horn sounded, the conductor came by and took our tickets, leaving us the stubs and saying, "Two going all the way," as he wrote _CHI _on a piece of paper and stuck it into the window in the door and closed it giving us privacy. I hated that man, he was evil!

Edward chuckled again and then looked up at me. "So, what's in Chicago?"

I smiled. "I'm getting myself set up for grad school. I moved to Seattle to go to college, and spend more time with my dad, but now I'm ready to be on my own. So what about you? Are you coming or going?" I couldn't resist and the shade of pink Edward turned was well worth any embarrassment of mine.

"Going. I moved to Chicago for college and I got a great job when I graduated so I stayed. What are you looking to study?"

"Literature, I want to teach English." I smiled thinking about being in front of a class of students one day.

"And what University is lucky enough to have Miss Bella Swan as a graduate student starting this fall?"

I blushed, he was such a flirt, and I wasn't sure if it was his personality, or I was bringing it out of him. "DePaul. Where do you work?"

He beamed; the smile on his face was so big. "I'm a pianist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra."

My jaw dropped. "Well then, I was caught by some very talented hands." Oh. My. God. What in the hell has gotten into me, or more likely, what would I like to have in me. STOP! This is insanity, I need a drink. Or a muzzle.

"That you were." I bit my lip and he laughed. "I don't want to seem rude, but I wanted to listen to a little music and relax, you mind?"

I shook my head. "You want to switch seats so you can longue a little more; I can curl up on the loveseat and read a book for a little bit."

"Sure." We got up and switched seats as I pulled out my worn copy of _Sense and Sensibility_ and set out to fall in love with Colonel Brandon all over again.

*SoaT*

I felt a light touch as someone gently shook my shoulder. "Bella, wake up. It's dinner time." The velvety voice brought me back to consciousness as I looked up to find those ridiculously green eyes staring down at me. "Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty."

I smiled up to him. "What time is it?"

"6:00, you fell asleep pretty quick after you curled up on that thing." I blushed and then got up to follow Edward to the dining car. I wasn't sure I trusted meat on a train, so I ordered the pasta and Edward ordered the same for himself. After dinner we headed back to our room and joked around, talked about books and music and movies. It was nice to just relax and get to know him better. Around 9:30 the attendant came back to turn down our beds. I was amazed at how the loveseat slid out making the bottom bed, while the top bed flipped down above it. We were sitting on the lower bed when Edward looked at me. "So, you want bottom or top?"

I blushed again, "I'll go up top, I don't think you'd fit up there."

He laughed, looking up. "I think you're right. I'm going to change really quick, I'll be right back."

I grabbed his arm and felt the current again. "Change here, I'll just step out for a minute." I got up and let Edward change, and when he finished he waited outside the room so I could change into my pajamas. Luckily I was smart when I packed; I had a cute pair of cotton shorts and a long sleeve v-neck shirt, which I had cut so it was slightly lower cut than it already was. I knocked on the window and Edward stepped back into the room, locking it and pulling the curtain. I grabbed my cell phone and book and climbed up onto my bed.

We stayed up until 11:30 asking each other really basic questions like our favorite color, or our favorite places that we'd been, and just laughing and telling each other stories. Then we went to sleep. Well Edward went to sleep, I lay there thinking about the fact that a gorgeous man was laying in the bed below me and all I wanted to do was give him a reason to have the perfect sex hair he already possessed.

I finished my book, and was still wide awake, so I went to get another book when I slipped going down the steps and landed on the foot of Edward's bed, straddling his left leg. He woke up with a jolt, his head shooting off the pillow. "What the … Bella?" He tried to figure out where he was and what had just happened.

"Edward, I'm so sorry, I fell off the steps. I didn't hurt you, did I?" I leaned forward to reach toward him and his eyes bulged. I followed his eyes and saw what had caught his attention; my shirt had slipped down and was revealing my lace bra. I looked back at Edward and his eyes were hooded with lust.

"Bella?" He voice was husky with desire and I immediately felt a twinge in my stomach. This was it; it was now or never, so I went for it. I leaned forward on all fours, stopping just short of his lips.

"Edward." My breath blew against his face and in that instant his lips were on mine. I ran my tongue across his bottom lip and he opened his mouth letting me suck his bottom lip into my mouth before his tongue touched mine. Edward moaned into my mouth and pulled me on top of him. His hands were roaming my body while mine held his face, snaking behind his head to twine my fingers in his hair. His lips broke from mine and I would have been overtaken by a wave of rejection if they hadn't moved directly to my neck, kissing and sucking down to the crick of my neck, where he stopped to trace my collarbone with his tongue. Every muscle between my legs ached to know him as I felt a surge of wetness. His right hand found its home on my ass as his left cupped my breast through my shirt. Still clutching to his hair I pulled my lips to his ear and sucked on his earlobe, gently nibbling as I nuzzled into his neck.

His lips were on my shoulder, still kissing and sucking when I felt his erection make its presence known against my right thigh. I gasped as he let out another moan and using a timbre in his voice that was so sexy I shivered as soon as he started speaking, he said, "Oh God … Bella … I … fuck …"

Completely floored that I could turn this god-like, professional, caring, articulate man into a passionate, lust-filled, stuttering he-man, who was about to live up to the hair that I was quickly becoming obsessed with, I found a courage I didn't know I was capable of this morning and whispered breathlessly into his ear. "Take me, Edward."

I moved my right leg so that I was now straddling him as the intensity of my words now caused him to shiver as he rolled over as best as we could on the small bed. His right hand moved to my thigh, stroking it as I pulled his lips back to mine. I finally released his hair and pulled away from his lips, tugging at his shirt, which he quickly whipped off and threw to the floor.

I lifted my back off the bed so that he could pull off my top and discard it with his. He growled and grabbed two fistfuls of hair, kissing me hungrily as I moaned at the friction growing between us as our lower halves rubbed together. I wrapped my legs around Edward's waist and thrust upwards into his pelvis. His breath caught and then he pulled back. I froze, terrified that I had crossed some line and scared him off. But as soon as he saw the fear in my eyes he winked and pulled off his pajama bottoms and boxers in one clean sweep and I gulped, that's right gulped. I hadn't realized quite how large he was until I saw it perfectly hard and smooth, and standing at attention for me. It had been nine months since I'd broken up with my college boyfriend, and we'd spent so much time fighting those last two months that we hadn't had sex. My roommate, Rosalie, teased me that I was getting dangerously close to born-again virgin status, and I knew even without the length of time that his size alone was going to hurt a little at first.

I forced my eyes back up to his face and as soon as our eyes locked all my anxiety faded. Edward made his way over to me and kissed me again, starting off more gently than before, like he was trying to calm the fear he had seen in my eyes. I reached around and unhooked my bra and he slid the straps off my shoulders and down my arms until it too landed on the pile of clothes next to the bed. He glided his hands down my body, slipping his long fingers underneath the elastic and sliding my shorts and underwear off, leaving us both completely naked on the bed. His eyes traveled up my body slowly, and I began to feel self-conscious about my body, so that by the time his eyes reached my face I was blushing as I looked out the picture window. His finger caught my chin and turned it so I was once again lost in his brilliant eyes. "Bella, you have nothing to be embarrassed about, you're stunning. Please, come back to me, baby."

I reached up and touched his cheek before cupping his neck and kissing him again. His lips were back on mine and I kissed him urgently, I needed him, my body was still filled with an ache only he could take away and I wanted this as badly as I did when I had started it.

Getting up long enough to retrieve a condom from his wallet and put it on, Edward rested on top of me and the pressure of his body weight made me feel like I was on fire as the electric pulse quickened and I let my legs slide open slightly. He began to reposition himself as I opened my legs to him and wrapped my arms around his back, holding him close in anticipation of what I knew was coming. He began kissing my neck again and then thrust into me. My sharp intake of air stopped him mid-thrust as he pulled his head back to look at my face to see the slight glassiness of my eyes. "Bella?"

I shook my head, willing my voice not to break. "It's okay; it's just been a while. I'll be fine in a minute." Edward looked into my eyes and I nodded and he bent his head to kiss me as he slowly and carefully slid himself the rest of the way in and then stilled his body until I was ready to continue. After the initial pain and discomfort subsided, I was overwhelmed by how amazing it felt. He filled me completely, in ways I never thought imaginable as my body stretched to fit around him.

I leaned forward to kiss his neck as I wrapped my legs back around his waist, signaling that I was alright. Edward pulled out slowly and then began thrusting very carefully at first, still allowing me time to get used to his size as I whimpered in pleasure against his skin. Once all the discomfort had been replaced by the ache for more, I turned my head to whisper in his ear, "Don't hold back, baby, you feel so good."

Edward let out a strangled moan as he increased his pace and thrust harder. My breathing became ragged as I rocked my hips up into his and felt Edward reach new depths. "Oh … fuck … Edward … that's … uuuhhn."

He laughed against my shoulder and in the same hushed tone as I used, so our neighbors wouldn't become aware of our activities, he said, "Damn, Bella … you're so tight … and wet … you feel amazing!"

Hearing Edward talk dirty was so hot, I immediately returned to his ear. "God Edward, it's so sexy when you talk dirty. Don't stop."

Edward let out a deep breath and then continued as I nibbled on his ear. "I was thinking about you all day. When you fell I thought it was a dream, it took me kissing you to finally believe that this was real. Because there is no way my imagination is _this_ good."

Hearing him say that he had been thinking about me, that he thought he was having some hot little wet dream when I was sitting in front of him pushed me to the edge of ecstasy. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed, "Edward … oh … I'm so close."

Edward lifted his upper body onto his arms and increased his pace, thrusting harder and deeper as he brushed the hair out of my face. "Bella, look at me … I want to see your face when you cum."

His words and his rhythm, plus a little help from the train rocking slightly on the tracks, sent me straight into the longest and most intense orgasm I had ever had. My back arched off the bed and my eyes rolled back into my head as my head pushed back into the pillow. My legs tightened around Edward's waist as my center trembled and squeezed the length of him. I inhaled sharply and moaned his name, pushing him over the edge as I felt his release.

Edward collapsed on top of me and murmured my name like a devout man praying to some far away god. I wrapped my arms around his shoulder as his forehead came to rest on mine. When we finally got our breathing under control he looked deep into my eyes. "Isabella Swan, that was the hottest, most passionate experience of my life."

I smiled and kissed his jaw. "That was perfect."

Edward smiled and rolled off of me, and immediately my body mourned the loss of him. But I was being slightly more practical. I slid to the edge of the bed and went to stand up when Edward's hand caught my forearm. "Where are you going?"

I giggled at the fact that he didn't want me to get out of the bed, and turned to face him. "Relax, I'm just getting dressed." Edward pouted and I smiled. "Edward, I don't want the attendant to see me sound asleep, lying naked in your arms."

I bent over to pick up my clothes and Edward chortled, "So you plan on spending the night lying in my arms?"

I smiled to myself, because it seems we could transition right back into our previous banter, and then I turned to see that crooked smile and threw his pajama bottoms and boxers at him. We quickly got dressed and he pulled the blanket that was crumpled at the bottom of the bed up and climbed under it, holding it up for me to crawl in next to him. He dropped the blanket and pulled me close, and I fell asleep to the sound of him humming softly in my ear.

*SoaT*

The jerk of the train rolling to a stop woke me up. I opened my eyes and was temporarily disoriented by my surroundings. That was until Edward kissed the spot on my back right below my neck and said, "Morning."

I turned in his arms and placed my hand on his face. "I thought you were a dream, although I am glad that the reality puts my fantasy to shame."

Edward kissed me and there was a light rap on the door.

"Mmmhhhph," Edward grumbled before climbing over me and calling out, "One minute."

Edward ran his fingers through his hair, which automatically elicited a giggle from me and he turned to shoot me a look before opening the compartment door. "Sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to bring you some coffee and see if you were ready for me to take care of the beds."

Edward looked back at me and I nodded, picking up his shirt and walking over by the armchair so I was out of the way. "Sure, come on in."

The attendant parked his cart outside and came in, stripping both beds and handing me my things, before folding them up and turning the bed back into a loveseat and setting up the table. He took the sheets and put them in his rolling hamper and then came back in with two cups of coffee, sitting them both on the table. Finally he handed Edward the paper, and Edward slipped him a tip before he nodded and made his way out, closing the door behind him. I went to sit in the armchair when Edward pulled me over to the couch. "Oh, hell no! You're sitting with me."

I complied happily and took the window seat as Edward settled in next to me. "Where are we?"

Edward pointed to a sign that was slightly visible a ways down the track. "Shelby, Montana."

I was about to take a sip of my coffee when my phone rang. I picked it up and answered it as the train rocked and began moving again. "Hey, Dad."

My dad laughed at the tone of my voice. "Bells, hey, how'd you sleep?"

I shot Edward a mischievous grin and then answered. "It took me a long time to fall asleep, but once I did, I slept like a baby."

My dad sounded impressed. "Well that's good. So are you sold on the perks of taking the train?"

I laughed, if he only knew. "Well, I haven't actually seen much scenery yet, but you're right, taking the train has its distinct advantages." I looked over at Edward and he smiled that damn crooked smile and ran his hand along my leg. "Oh dad, you'll never believe who I met on the train?"

My dad sounded a little concerned. "Who?"

"Dr. Cullen's son, Edward. He lives in Chicago so he's going to show me around when we get in so that way I'm not completely lost." I knew my dad respected the Cullen family, and knowing that I knew someone in the city that he knew would make him feel better about my move. And I didn't fail to notice the 'What are you thinking?' look on Edward's face.

"That's great! Edward was always a good kid. What's he going to school there?"

I smiled, excited to get the chance to brag about Edward's accomplishments. "No Dad, Edward's the same age as me. He got a job as a concert pianist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra."

"Wow! That's impressive. Is he there, I'd like to speak to him?" Fuck.

"Hold on, he should be here in a minute, I'm waiting for him in the dining car." Who the hell knew I could lie like that? I waited another minute as Edward got into character. "Here he is." Then I turned my head from the phone slightly so my dad could still hear me. "Morning Edward, my dad's on the phone and he wants to talk to you, you don't mind, do you?"

Edward smiled and then answered, "No, not at all."

He put the phone to his ear and then began. "Hello, Chief Swan." There was a pause. "Yes, it was lucky, wasn't it?" Another pause. "No, we walked up to the counter at the same time and when I heard Bella's last name I asked if she was any relation to you, and then we started talking." Edward laughed and then continued. "Yes, well it seems both of our parents sold us on the merits of train travel." One last pause before he ended. "Okay Charlie, I will. Have a good day."

Edward handed me the phone with a shit eating grin on his face. "Dad?"

"Alright Bells, you have a safe trip and I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." The line disconnected and I stared straight at Edward. "What did he say to you?"

Edward laughed. "He told me to take care of his girl, and to show you a good time."

My face was instantly as red as a tomato. "Oh my God. I don't know what's more bizarre, that I was able to successfully pull off a lie like that, or that Charlie inadvertently gave you his blessing."

Edward picked up his coffee cup and took a long sip. "Why don't you finish up here so that way we can move the table." The wink that followed almost caused a spit-take but I reined it in and polished off my drink.

"So, what would you like to do now?" Edward ran his nose along the column of my neck but I desperately needed to move around.

"How about we head down to the dining car for real, we can get some food and I really need to stretch my legs."

Edward smiled down at me and grabbed his bag, pulling out a change of clothes. "I'll change in the shower stall, knock when you're done." He gave me a quick peck on the top of my head and then disappeared into the tiny bathroom. Grabbing my bag, I put on a pair of jeans and my long sleeved young heart shirt, letting the oversized neck hang off my left shoulder a little as I slipped on my blue sneakers and my rose quartz necklace, and then I knocked on the stall door and called out that I was decent. He walked out and smiled, before picking up his phone and leading me through the four coach cars to the dining car.

Settling into one of the tables, we watched some of the scenery pass, cuddled up on the same side as he held me close and ate breakfast. It felt so nice to have his arms around me and just be, no talking or anything, just the rocking of the train.

After a while, I got up to use the bathroom. Walking into the next car I cleaned up quickly and headed back to Edward. What I saw as I looked through the window on the door was enough to stop me in tracks. A tall blonde smiling at Edward. Her hands on his chest. His hands on her hips. Her head turned in my direction for a second and then snapped back to him. My feet were slow as I ran through the cars and right after I opened the compartment door to the second car, I tripped and felt a familiar touch on my arm. "Bella?"

Shit.

**EPOV**

Bella left to go to the bathroom and I sat, watching the trees fly past as a young woman practically fell into my lap. Catching her before she hit the ground, I stood and steadied her for a moment before releasing her.

"Thanks, damn heels." She motioned to her feet which easily had on four-inch heels.

"No problem." I sat back down and the guy behind the counter got her attention to pass her the food she had ordered.

"Mind if I join you?" She looked down at me with a familiar spark and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Actually, I'm waiting for someone; she should be back any second."

She straightened up and smirked down at me. "Oh come on, I bet I'm a lot more interesting than that mousy little thing, and with the way she ran a minute ago, I doubt she'll want to talk to you right now. So how about you do something to make the fight that happens if you do find her worth it."

She finished her attempt at seduction with a wink and I was blown away. She actually thought that I'd sleep with her just so I had done something worth getting in trouble for. Then it hit me, Bella saw us. What had been completely innocent on my part probably looked anything but, especially with this hussy putting on a show for her benefit. I jumped up, nearly knocking her on her ass again as I got in her face.

"Nothing with you would be worth hurting her, now get out of my way!" I seethed as I spoke through clenched teeth, earning me a shocked look and a clear exit from the booth, clutching our bag of snacks, as I sprinted back to our room, hoping that was where she went, because if not I'd have a lot of searching to do. Trying to get past the people who were shuffling out of their seats, I felt like I would never get through those four cars, but eventually I did and I took the stairs two at a time only to see some Native American guy in _our _room with her, leaning over her where she was standing against the closet. I knew I was probably reading too much into it, but when his hand reached up to brush the tears from her face, I snapped, flinging the compartment door open with a bang as it slammed into its housing.

"Can I help you?" The piece of shit spat out at me while Bella stood there looking so broken that I wanted to go and find that girl and throw her from the moving train for being so hateful.

"Yes, you can get out of _our _room." Bella's head snapped up and the anger in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Not until Izzy tells me to." He stood between the two of us, not even bothering to look at me.

"You know I hate that name. I'll be fine, Jake, you can go." There was a familiarity to the way she spoke to him and his nickname for her … Izzy, that was something you called a cat. But it was evident that this wasn't some random person, they had a history.

Jake walked towards me, turning to Bella one last time. "You know where to find me if you change your mind."

Walking past me, he hit my shoulder and I was so caught up in the silent exchange that I almost missed Bella closing the door, but caught it before it could click closed.

"Edward, don't." Her voice was so small, and I had to make it right. Sitting the bag in the sink, I stepped in front of her.

"Bella, whatever you think that was … you saw most of the interaction. She fell and I caught her. And the performance was more for your benefit than mine. She wanted you to see that, but I swear, as soon as she opened her damn mouth and hit on me I told her to back off. Then when she told me that you had run off … I screamed at her before I ran after you. Bella … last night isn't something I do normally, but this … _us _… I've never felt something this strong before."

Bella's tears came faster as she curled up on the loveseat. Taking a chance, I sat next to her and pulled her against my chest and was rewarded with her hands grasping onto my neck. "I thought I was the only one who felt it. Especially after everything with Jake-"

Bella froze as I stiffened, her words were a confirmation that they had a past, but whether she was referring to something that had happened a while back or before I interrupted them was still unknown. "What happened with Jake?"

"He fought to get me and then after a while, he started getting bored. Then he can't have me again and he makes another play. The chase seems to be the only thing about me that gets a guys interest."

I tilted her head up and looked deep into her eyes. "That is far from true. There is so much about you that makes me want to keep you around for the long haul. You're smart, and funny. I love how your face lights up when you talk about something that interests you. And your laugh, it's so carefree and it makes me smile every time I hear it. Bella, you're gorgeous."

Bella scoffed and I held her closer. "You are. I love your eyes and how your upper lip is a little too big for the bottom, and the way your perfect breasts heave when you're breathing heavy …" I leaned in close to whisper the last bit. "And I love the look on your face when you cum all over my cock."

Bella gasped and I prayed I hadn't gone too far, and as if my prayers were being answered soon her lips were peppering kisses along my neck. "Did you really tell her off?"

"Ask the poor guy behind the counter, he got a front row seat."

Bella smiled and leaned back on her heels to look at me. "No thanks, I'd rather hang out here."

I laughed with her as we opened up the bag of food that included our sandwiches and Bella set the table for our meal. We ate side by side and then after cleaning up, Bella grabbed one of her books. The train rolled to a stop at the next town and after a few minutes, we were on our way again. Looking at my watch, it was just after 1:30 p.m., so Bella and I had just under twenty-four hours together left on this train before we pulled into Chicago and the spell that was this train ride would be over. I just hoped that this would last beyond this tiny room.

I sat beside Bella, reading the newspaper and listening to a recording of mine while she read one of her worn books. A part of me wondered why she didn't have a Kindle filled with all her favorite books, but I could see from the much used edition in her hand that she probably preferred the real thing.

"What are you listening to?" Bella asked as the train moved slowly down the tracks.

"It's a recording of my senior recital," I told her. "I was a composition and performance major, so I actually got my own night, instead of being part of a pair. It is ninety minutes of self-indulgence, but I'm trying to work on something new so I'm returning to some of my best pieces from the past."

"Can I listen?" Bella asked. "I mean, not right now when you're using them … but later maybe."

"Let me start it at the beginning," I said. I handed it to her and hit play on my first song, trying to not focus on the fact that she was hearing what was some of my best work. I wanted her to like my compositions, and I hoped she enjoyed some of the classics that were in there.

She sat beside me with her eyes closed, almost to the point that I thought she might have fallen asleep on me until her head popped off my shoulder. "I love, Claire De Lune."

"That's one of my favorite pieces," I admitted. "What did you -"

I was cut off as the train lurched and we banged into the table. The lights flickered and Bella gasped as the train stopped moving all together. Looking out the window revealed nothing but open land, not even a car on the road that sat beside the train tracks. There were a few minutes of quiet before the crackle of the speaker system alerted us to the first bit of news we might get.

"Attention all passengers, we regret to inform you that a car tried to cross the tracks several miles ahead and is stuck on the tracks. It will be a while before the police are able to remove the car and then an Amtrak crew will make sure no damage was done to the tracks so that we can safely cross. We will keep you updated as the situation progresses and we apologize for the delay. Thank you for your patience."

The announcement ended and I knew that this wasn't going to be a short delay.

"What does that mean?" Bella asked.

"It means, we'll be sitting here for a while, so we better get comfy," I told her.

Bella put down her book and sat facing me. "Should we go to the snack car and get some extra food or something?"

"No," I told her, "there's no need to panic like that. We have a bunch of food here, and they have enough to feed us for the ride, but if we sit her for long enough, they'll get the dining car refilled at a later station. Our best option is to wait it out in here."

"Well, it's three in the afternoon, so what do you want to do to kill the time?" Bella posed the question to me and I smiled, knowing there were a few things we could do.

"Have you ever been on Club Pogo? My sister and my mom are obsessed with it, and we all have accounts. If you don't play, I can send you a trial for it, and then we can play a whole bunch of games on it." I offered knowing it would kill some time.

Bella booted up her laptop and let me show her the site. She was sold pretty quickly after she found out that they had tons of card games on top of some board games and pretty much anything you could think of.

We spent the next two hours playing card games online from across the table when there was a second announcement. "Attention all passengers, the police are still working to remove the car from the tracks, but an Amtrak crew is onsite, so as soon as the car has been cleared from the scene, the tracks will be inspected and power will be restored to that section of track so that we may continue our journey. Thank you once again for your patience. Also, we'd like to inform you that in order to keep the dining car from becoming overcrowded, we will be closing it for a quick inventory before dinner and then the conductors will allow one train car at a time make their way to buy food. We know that this is an added inconvenience, but it is necessary for the safety of our passengers and crew. We will continue to keep you informed as we get information from the crew working onsite."

The PA system cut off and there was a gentle knock on our door. Both of us looked up to see our attendant standing at the window. We gestured for him to open the door and he slipped in with a pad in his hand.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble today, but in an attempt to feed everyone as promptly as possible, we will be delivering food to the sleeper cars. So if you can look over the menu and choose what you'd like, I'll bring it to you in a little while."

"Thank you so much," Bella said to him, taking the proffered menu. "Is there any word on the car that had problems on the tracks?"

"We only know that they're working to get it off the tracks as we sit here. But the best estimate is that they'll get us moving in two hours, which means we'll be in Williston, North Dakota by 8p.m."

"That's four hours from now?" Bella commented, but our attendant corrected her.

"We'll cross into Central Time when we move into North Dakota, so that's where the extra hour comes from." The attendant gave us a minute to pick our food, but wouldn't give us any more information.

Almost an hour later, the attendant was back with our food, but no update on when we might get moving again. Frustrated, Bella opened up google and searched for 'Amtrak delays in Montana' and pulled up an online article from a news network in Bismarck, North Dakota.

"Oh, my God." Bella gasped.

"What is it?" I asked and she waved me over to look at her computer.

"The car didn't stall, it was parked there. A woman's body was found in the driver's seat and the police were searching the area surrounding the crossing for any evidence before the car was moved. This is from an hour after they made the announcement, but it sounds like they've been there for a while."

"And any evidence could be destroyed by the train moving, so they'll have to be damn sure that they have everything before they move us," I added, realizing this could mean getting off the train.

We sat quietly for a while as the realization that this wasn't something innocent washed over us. Eventually we went back to other activities, but it wasn't until the attendant returned at nine to turn down our beds for the night that we realized they had some news.

"The car's been removed from the tracks and the police cleared the area, so Amtrak is doing their sweep and we'll be moving along shortly. Thanks again for your patience, a lot of other people on this train are starting to get very angry, so it helps when some of the passengers understand that we don't want to be stuck here anymore than you do."

Bella told him where some of that understanding came from. "We found an article about what happened, so it's hard to be pissed about being held up when someone died."

The man didn't say anything else on the subject, grabbing us some clean towels and saying a quick goodnight. Bella and I rearranged ourselves, putting the table back down after the beds were made up so we could leave our computers and other things out while we sat back on the bed together. We just started to get comfortable when the announcement we'd been waiting for was made.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've been given the go ahead to move forward towards Williston, North Dakota. We should arrive there in just under an hour which will have us pulling into the station at 11:09 p.m. local time. We will have crossed into the Central time zone at that point and we hope to have no further delays as we continue on into Chicago. Our estimated arrival time is approximately 8 p.m. tomorrow evening."

"I better text my dad so he doesn't worry," Bella said to herself as she picked up her phone and then turned it off a minute later.

I was about to do the same to my dad, but my phone was suddenly ringing. I saw my mom's number pop up, so I decided to answer her now and she could pass it on to my dad.

"I saw on the tracker that you were delayed, is everything okay?"

"Good evening to you too, Mom," I teased her.

"Hello, Edward Anthony, now will you please answer my question?" My mother was apparently not in the mood to suffer fools, so I decided to be nice.

"We're fine, Mom, there was an incident on the tracks but the train is moving again and the we will get in tomorrow evening."

"Who's we, Edward?"

Fuck me. Well, Bella told Charlie about me, so I better keep the story straight.

"Bella Swan, the Chief's daughter. She's on the train with me so we've been hanging out."

"Edward, is she in your room?"

"Mom!" I yell, because really, she was like a psychic ninja that killed my game better than anyone else in the universe.

"Don't you hurt that sweet girl, or I'll give Charlie your address," my mom threatened, just as Bella held out her hand for the phone. Things couldn't get more embarrassing at the moment, so I handed it over.

"Hi, Esme, it's been a while." I watched Bella intently as she listened to my mother. "You have nothing to worry about, he's been very sweet. They actually double booked the room so we agreed to share and he's been a perfect gentleman." There was a laugh before Bella finished up her conversation. "Esme, I hate to ask you this, but my dad would freak out if he knew that we had to share a room, even if he knows Edward, so could you not bring it up to him. I'm going to tell him, but I'd like it to be in the past when I do. Okay, here he is. Bye, Esme."

I got the phone back just in time to hear my mom say, "Have a good night, Edward and I'll talk to you once you get home. Safe trip."

"Night, Mom," I said, hanging up the phone.

"Thank you, I have no idea how she figured it out, but that could have been a lot worse on me if you didn't talk to her yourself."

"No problem, I got to know your Mom pretty well from all of the office visits back in Forks, and you totally handled Charlie this morning."

"Well, either way, thank you," I said again, because ever since Emmett got married, my mom had been trying to find me the right girl, wouldn't she be irked to know that Dad was actually the one to make it happen.

"So, I'm going pop into the bathroom and change, do you need to use it before I do?" I answered her question with a shake of my head, letting her do her thing while I dug through my bag to grab my clothes.

I hadn't realized it at first, but Bella had put away all of her stuff into her carryon before going into the bathroom, so I folded up my laptop and threw it and my phone into my bag.

I was holding the box of condoms my newly wedded brother gave me at the rehearsal dinner, 'in case I landed a bridesmaid', when Bella came out of the bathroom. The sound of the door caught my attention, but the sight in front of me held it there.

Bella was standing in front of me in a matching lime green and tropical blue lace bra and panty set. It took a second for me to react, but my first move was to practically lunge for the door and lock it, pulling the shades to block the view from outside our room.

"I was getting ready to put on my pajamas, but I thought, there's a chance that we may get a little heated out here, so it might be better to change afterwards. Do you think that was an accurate assumption?"

I could see that she was nervous about what she was doing, that it wasn't easy for her to put herself out there like this, so I folded up the table and picked up the discarded box of condoms, pulling one out and throwing it on the windowsill.

"I think it was very smart," I told her as I kicked off my shoes and pulled my shirt over my head. My pants and boxers were gone next and then I sat in the armchair, after covering it with the extra sheet, and took off my socks. Completely naked, I pulled Bella to stand in-between my legs. "Turn around and let me see you."

Bella did as I asked, and as soon as she was facing away from me and I saw the amazing things that thong did for her ass I grabbed her hips and eased her into my lap.

"You're so damn gorgeous, Bella. I don't want this to end tomorrow night when we get off this train."

Bella moaned as she rubbed her hot little ass against my cock. "Neither do I, Edward."

The way she said that, made me realize we needed to talk about that tomorrow, but for now I had an amazingly beautiful woman sitting in my lap and all I could think about was making her feel good.

"Stand up, Baby, and take off your thong," I whispered in her ear, using the moment to slip on the condom as she turned to face me.

Wordlessly, I pulled my legs together and guided her to kneel over me before I lowered her onto my length. Using my fingers to push the fabric away, I latched onto her breast as it escaped her bra and thrust up into her, meeting her downward strokes.

She pounded herself onto my length, gasping and moaning as I filled her. The sensations of her gripping my cock from the inside as she moved closer to her climax was one of the best things I'd ever felt. Bella felt so damn right; and it was more than just physically. Everything about her was right for me, and I was going to work hard to prove it to her once we got off of this train.

Bella's stuttered sentence let me know just how close she was, so I moved forward and held myself off the chair so I could slam into her as hard and as fast as I could. Her breathy cry was followed by her body milking me, sending me to my own climax as I fell back against the covered seat.

I held Bella to my chest only letting her up so she could clean up and change, doing the same when she was finished in our tiny bedroom.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Bella asked before I could talk to her. I thought she knew I had something to say, but I wasn't going to push it at the moment. I'd give her the rest of tonight for us to just be.

"Sure, what did you want to watch?"

"You can pick, here are the DVD's that aren't being shipped to me," Bella explained as she handed me the slim case.

Opening it, I saw the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, so I asked her if she was in the mood for it and she smiled brightly, popping it into her computer, which she'd set up on the table. We barely made it to Rivendell before we were both sound asleep.

**BPOV**

I woke up the next morning with a knot in my stomach. The past day and a half had been wonderful, but now I was facing my last day with Edward and that made me really sad. While he was still sleeping, I shut off the movie's menu and gathered a little of the blanket so I could sit and look down at the station we were currently pulled into. Detroit Lakes, Minnesota was a tiny town, but a surprising number of people got off here.

The train rocked back into motion a few minutes later and the knot got a little tighter. Every mile we moved closer to Chicago felt like another mile growing between Edward and I. I knew he told me that I was special, but once he was back in the world of the symphony and his gala events, the ordinary college student from the train would be a funny story he told his friends.

I was so caught up in my little pity party that I didn't hear Edward move behind me until his arms found my waist.

"What are you thinking about over there? You look so serious." I turned my head to see his brow furrowed, which was something I had to work to correct.

"Nothing, just making a mental list of everything I have to do. My things were packed up and sent ahead, so I have a lot of unpacking to do as I move into my new apartment. I have another five weeks before classes start, but it still feels like so much to accomplish." I let my eyes fall back on the scenery out the window when I feel Edward tug me backwards.

"Lay here with me for a while," he said and I let him guide me to his chest. "There, that's better. Now, as for moving, I have some friends that I can bribe with beer and pizza so they can help us get you moved in."

"That's sweet of you, but I wouldn't want to inconvenience you or your friends," I told him but he just pulled me closer.

"It isn't any trouble, I promise. Oh, that reminds me," Edward reached over me long enough to get his phone and power it on, "are you free Friday night?"

"Yeah, my schedule's wide open at the moment," I joked, until he was dialing his phone.

"Do you like Italian?" he questioned and I nodded as he spoke to the recording on the phone. "Chicago, Illinois. Yes, I need the phone number for Aro's Place."

Gasping at the fact that he was getting the number for one of the best Italian restaurants in Chicago, I tried to grab the phone from him but he squirmed out of my way. "Edward, stop. Edward…"

I trailed off and just jumped off the bed, feeling the frustration that he was ruining the last of our time together. "Bella, why are you crying?"

"Because all I want to do is enjoy our last few hours together and you're talking about fancy dinners and I can almost see you planning on taking me to gala nights at the Chicago Symphony."

"And that has you in tears?" he asked.

"I'm not that girl, Edward," I wailed. "I grew up in a working class home and I've had to work my ass off to get where I am. I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl and at some point you're going to realize I don't fit into your world."

"Bella," Edward said, "I'm a musician. Yes, I work as a classically trained musician and am lucky enough to have a steady paycheck during the season, but I have to teach to make ends meet. I'm not saying that Aro's place is a normal hangout, far from it, but I know him from one of the fundraisers. I wanted to do something special, but -"

"Oh, crap," I continue to cry like an idiot, "see, I ruin things, Edward."

He got up and enveloped me in his arms. "No you don't. You're just not used to someone wanting to spoil you a little. And to answer your question, I do want to do all those things with you. I want you on my arm and in the audience when I'm onstage. I'd like to take you to fancy restaurants and dirty spoons. Chicago is my world and I'm going to get the chance to share it with you. And before you freak out, one of the violinist, Alice, is a whiz with making off the rack look couture, so she'll help you when you need it. Don't pull away already. If something freaks you out, or is too over the top, tell me and we'll work it out. Just don't hold it in until you fall apart on me like this."

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be, you were really concerned and I need that kind of honesty," he admitted.

"Can we start over," I asked.

"Only if we can do it in bed," he winked and we fell back onto the mattress.

The next few hours we just lay there talking and laughing together until we finally let the attendant in to put our room back together. Edward managed to talk me into showering together in our tiny bathroom, and when we emerged, we headed down to get lunch.

Walking to the back of the train, we spent the miles between Winona, Minnesota and Portage, Wisconsin in the little sightseeing car, before returning to our rooms for the last few hours of the trip, grabbing our dinner on the way back.

Edward and I ate together and then made sure all of our things were packed up so that we could easily get off when we finally arrived.

"Bella, where are you staying tonight?" Edward asked as we left Milwaukee.

"I had planned on meeting up with my landlady when I got into town, but I had to text her about the delay so I'm actually not sure where I'll be staying." I'd made that call yesterday, but didn't think to call for a reservation somewhere for the night.

"Stay with me," he whispered. "Then tomorrow we can check out your place and try and make a game plan. And we'll do it over Chinese food," he teased.

"I won't be intruding?" I asked.

"I wouldn't have asked if I felt you were. And we need to discuss the vouchers -" he started, but I cut him off.

"We'll use them together when we go home for the holidays," I told him and his face lit up.

"Another two days trapped in a sleeper car with me, what will your father think?" The mirth in his eyes was welcome after such a heavy morning.

"He'll wonder how you were able to convince me to do it again so easily, but I think that should be our little secret."

"Definitely, I don't need the Chief of Police waiting on my parents' porch for defiling his daughter." He laughed and I had to tease him.

"Defile is such a negative word; I prefer to think of it as being pleasured." It was my turn to wink and kiss his gaping mouth, ending conversation for a while.

Finally, Glenview, Illinois came and went, with the announcement letting us know that we were forty minutes outside of Chicago and our final stop. Edward held me the entire time, looking out our window as the city came into view and far too soon for me, the train slowed as it pulled into Union Station. Edward guided me to the exit and climbed down first, taking our bags before he lifted me off the last step, bypassing the little step stool altogether.

"Come on, let's walk over to baggage claim and I'll call Alice. She can borrow her boyfriends SUV to get us back to my place and then we'll raid my freezer for what might be edible. Or we can order in." Edward was already tugging me up to the walkway that would lead to baggage claim and I couldn't help but smile.

"That sounds great, I'm so excited to finally be here," I gushed, because this really was the next chapter of my life beginning.

"I'm just glad that I'm the one that gets to share it with you. Come on." He smiled.

I started walking a little faster beside him, ready to start my new journey with Edward there to support me every step of the way.


End file.
